Statistic Central Agency (BPS) released Indonesia's trade balance in January 2018 had a deficit of USD0.67 billion. According to the head of the Central Statistics Agency Suhariyanto, the deficit in January was due to the deficit in trade balance of oil and gas sector of USD0.86 billion. In the same month, the non-oil and gas trade balance surplus USD0.18 billion.
"We expect this deficit will not happen again in the months that followed." We expect exports to be well spurred to produce a surplus, "he said in a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (15/2/2018).
Suhariyanto said that Indonesia's export value in January 2018 reached USD14.46 billion or decreased by 2.81% compared to December 2017. Meanwhile, compared to January 2017 it increased by 7.86%.
Thus, cumulatively, the value of Indonesian exports in January 2018 reached USD14.46 billion, an increase of 7.86% when compared to the same period of the previous year which was USD13.40 billion.
"For the share of non-oil exports dominated by three countries, namely China for USD1, 92 billion, the United States USD1, 54 billion, and Japan for USD1, 39 billion," he said.
As for the value of Indonesian imports in January 2018 reached USD15, 13 billion, up 0.26% compared to December 2017. The same when compared with January 2017 which increased 26.44%. "The increase in imports occurred due to the import of non-oil / gas imports by 3.65% while oil and gas decreased by 16.31%," he added.
The share of non-oil / gas imports in January 2018 is dominated by three countries, namely China USD3.76 billion, Japan USD1.37 billion and Singapore USD0.90 billion, "he concluded.